Top Menu

Trintellix, formerly called Brintellix in the U.S., airs new TV work for the depression med focusing on the journey to better mental health. (Takeda)

Takeda looks to everyday joys in new TV ads for major depressive order treatment Trintellix. The “Joys of Accomplishment” campaign features people with depression who struggle to deal with ordinary tasks, such as dirty laundry or focusing at work, as part of the complex multi-symptoms that come with depression.

By the end of the ad, those same people are celebrating everyday victories. For one woman, for example, it’s the simple triumph of “not living in sweatpants.”

The new work replaces the former “Tangles” campaign—which initially began when Trintellix was still known as Brintellix—that featured multicolored tangles of string to represent the multiple symptoms of major depressive disorder that go beyond simply being sad.

“So there you are with your depression. And stuff that you just don’t want to deal with. Because depression is multiple symptoms,” says the voice-over in one ad. The word “tell” is then highlighted in an onscreen message—as in “Your doctor tells you about”—and then morphs into the brand name Trin-tell-ix.

The campaign, which started last year and recently added the second TV spot, was developed after conversations with patients who brought up similar feelings about their depression, the company said.

“Patients told us they want to focus on their journey to their desired state of health, so we focused on creating a campaign that connects with patients in an uplifting and motivating way,” Takeda said by email. “… For people dealing with depression, everyday tasks can be difficult. Our new campaign tells the stories of several patients from unique backgrounds and their small victories over depression.”

The ads have been running on Bravo, Hallmark, TBS and other cable channels and online on YouTube, Takeda said.

Takeda and Lundbeck co-promote Trintellix in the U.S. in a strategic alliance struck in 2007 to co-develop and co-commericalize several drugs in Lundbeck's pipeline of treatments for mood and anxiety disorders. Lundbeck sales share of drug, known as Brintellix outside the U.S., totaled DKK 1.24 billion (about $185 million) in North America last year, an increase of 27% over 2017. Takeda has not yet reported its 2018 full-year revenue.